One Last Time
by AngelOfBlackBlood
Summary: A Very Special Christmas Present.


**Author's Note- This was written with the prompt of Christmas at Hogwarts and using the character Montgomery who has been given the name Alex in this. **

* * *

Gentle snowflakes fell to the already white ground in the soft glow of early morning. A calm breeze rattled through the branches of the forbidden forest, carrying a hidden spike that stabbed at any uncovered skin. The tuneful sound of birds fluttered delicately through the air, weaving its way between the icy winds and completing the scene of a perfect winter's morning.

The sun had only just cast its first golden rays on the crumbling old castle, and yet, if you looked closely, you could see movement in several windows. It wasn't as if there were any classes today, no meetings or clubs; there weren't even that many children still in the school.

The reason for these early risers was not an overwhelming need to study and get ahead of other students nor was it the idea of a filling breakfast or a day playing in the snow. It was the promise of violently ripping apart brightly wrapped gifts and sitting by a fire with a small ensemble of friends.

What these excited children failed to notice was the slight ripple of air in the corner furthest away from the fireplace. No one looked up at the small boy leaning against the wall, watching. Their attention remained focused on the shreds of red and green paper that now dotted the floor and the treasures they had once covered.

The little boy's misty eyes reflected a wisdom that no young child should possess; it was the wisdom that came from years of suffering. There was a shadow of a smile ghosting over the boys face as he watched the small group and his gaze would repeatedly snap towards the two girls that sat closest to the fire.

At first glimpse the boy would appear to be nothing more than another faded memory trapped in the endless corridors of time, but further assessment of the pale child revealed something far more disturbing.

The pained eyes were not the only unusual twist in this ghost child's tale. His old clothes were decorated with red tears and a long gash was visible on his exposed arm. However this child had come to rest here it hadn't been a peaceful journey.

The fireside chat continued till late morning and the boy stood perfectly still with only his eyes wondering back and forth over the students. Eventually the small group began to drift apart, heading for separate bedrooms to gather warm clothes, and, once they were all wrapped up they headed towards the lake.

The small boy followed closely behind the group but remained invisible. He watched as the first snowballs were thrown and listened to the joy filled laughter that seemed to echo throughout the school.

After hours of snowball fights and snowman building the two girls and their little group began the walk back to their common room, intending to dry off before heading to Christmas dinner. What they hadn't been expecting was to run into someone they had lost a long time ago.

* * *

Our ascent up to the common room was slow, the wet clothes felt like they weighed a ton and only added to the upwards struggle. My sister stuck close to my side as we entered the common room and headed for our shared room. Today had been fun and I had even managed to accurately aim several snowballs, which for me was a miracle considering my total lack of coordination.

The common room was just the right temperature, and the warmth that rolled off the fire in waves began to battle the icy claws that still grasped at our skin. We trudged up the stairs towards our bedroom; it was only us at the moment because everyone else had gone home for the holidays.

As we began tugging off our soaked jackets the lights went out and my sister let out a very high pitched squeak at the sudden darkness. A strange light began to emit from a small ball in the centre of the room as both my sister and I turned to stare at it.

I was just getting ready to bolt for the door and find help when the light blue ball began to expand and bend into a different shape. The first thing I noticed was an almost transparent arm which was soon followed by several other limbs, a torso and eventually a head.

The shocked expression I knew was present on my face was mirrored by my sister. We would recognise the little boy who had appeared in front of us anywhere. It was our little brother, Alex Montgomery.

I carefully reached out my hand to touch his arm, already knowing that it would pass straight through. The air where his arm should have been was colder and raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

We must have stared for several minutes before anyone said anything. But eventually he broke the silence.

"My sisters." His voice was weak and was almost lost in the relatively big bedroom but it was enough to snap us out of our shock.

I don't remember much after that, I do remember falling to my knees along with my sister so we were face to face with ghost and I also remember there being a lot of tears.

We must have spent a good hour talking to him but all too soon he began to fade. His already dim light began to grow dimmer and some of the lights along the walls began to flicker back into existence.

Above everything else that happened that night I remember his last words. He softly smiled at us as he continued to fade.

"My time here has finally come to an end and now I must move on. This is the last time you will see me and I don't have much else to say other than goodbye and I suppose Merry Christmas." His last words sounded like something our parents may have said, they were far to mature for our little brother and yet I can't imagine his last words being anything else.

The next thing we knew, we were being shaken awake from where we had fallen asleep on the floor, and I was ready to believe that it had all been some sort of a crazy dream. That was until I approached my bed and saw a small golden wrapped present, my sister had an identical one and inside both were identical charm bracelets each with a small metal wolf and the letter M.

Yes Alex, I suppose it really is a Merry Christmas.


End file.
